My First RunDisney Event and Solo Trip! - Day 1 - Updated 10/26!

[rigsfhdgnv]

- Setting the Scene -

Back in February, while signing up for about a kajillion half-marathons (actual number: 3), I realized I was almost 30, that I'd been running for about 2 years, and that I wanted to do something awesome for myself. Right after I started running, I started reading Runner's World, and they've always got these really cool ads for RunDisney races. Ever since I saw that first RunDisney ad, I'd wanted to RunDisney. So, I took a gander at their website and realized that registration for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler would be opening in mere days. I decided to go for it, and signed up.

- Day 1 -

Fast forward to October 4th. I'd been anxiously counting down to my RunDisney race and my first solo trip for almost 8 months. It was finally time to leave! My dad drove me to the airport at 4 a.m. as my flight was leaving at 6. After a short layover in Houston, and a flight that actually left on time, I was at the Orlando airport!

This was my first experience using Disney's Magical Express. I was very impressed with how streamlined the whole experience was, and not having to wait, wait, wait for my luggage at baggage claim was a definite plus.

I arrived at All Star Sports and checked in. The friendly front desk workers reminded me that there was no food court, but that I had the option of traveling by bus to All Star Music or Movies. I didn't ever do that, but ended up sticking with the grab & go options instead, as they'd converted their arcade to a makeshift cafeteria.

I'd never stayed at All Star Sports, but since this was a solo trip, I was trying to do things as cheaply as possible. The room was a good size for one person and I was in one of the buildings off the "tennis court," so it was fairly quiet.

After checking out my room, I headed to the Expo to pick up my packet for the race the next day. The Expo was definitely the biggest one I'd ever been to, but the products were not novelties to me, so I didn't spend too long browsing. I got my bib, which was personalized, my shirt, which I promptly exchanged for a smaller size (they were all huge!) and the commemorative pin I'd ordered while registering. I checked out the official race merchandise, but there was no way I'd be spending $70 for a jacket, so I hightailed it back to my hotel.

Magical Express had dropped off my luggage while I was at the Expo! While digging for a purse, I found a dog bone. My dog does this every time I go out of town...I'm forever finding bones in my luggage; apparently he wanted to come, too.

I decided to hit Downtown Disney with the remainder of my evening. I grabbed some Shrimp & Chips at Cooke's and a custom dipped apple from Goofy's Candy Company. I looked at the shops a bit, but didn't buy much as I had plenty more days to go. I really wanted an adult beverage, but as I was running the next day and Florida was so humid, I didn't think it would be wise.

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[emilyindisney]

I've been dying to read about this year's ToT so count me in!

 

[lovelygirl1975]

I'm in.

 

[rigsfhdgnv]

The day of the race! Woo!!!!

I decided to hit a park that morning since I didn't have to board a bus to the race until about 7 PM. Luckily, there were EMH at AK, and that was the park I'd spent the least time in out of my trips to the World.

I got up early and grabbed a bagel and coffee from the makeshift cafeteria. Sticking to carbs seemed like a good idea.

EMH started at 8 AM, and I was there when they opened. I went straight to Expedition Everest, as I'd never ridden that before. No waiting! I loved, loved, LOVED this ride. I loved it so much that I immediately did it a second time. Very cool, the silhouette video of the yeti was probably my favorite part. I went to Dinosaur next, where there was also no waiting. I'm glad I did this ride during EMH, because it closed indefinitely later that morning. After Dinosaur, I checked the times for Finding Nemo: The Musical and Festival of the Lion King, neither of which I'd seen. On my way from one to the other, I stopped into It's Tough to be a Bug, which I liked the last time I was there and still do. Probably pretty scary if you're a kid, though. I still had plenty of time until those shows I wanted to see, so I decided on Kilaminjaro Safaris. By this point, the park had opened for regular hours, so I had about a 15 minute wait before getting on a vehicle, but it still wasn't too crowded yet. This was a neat attraction, and since it was pretty early, the animals were well within view for the most part.

When I got done with my safari, it was time for Festival of the Lion King! I got a pretty good seat and thought that this show was good entertainment. The Lion King is one of those movies that came out when I was a kid, so it always reminds me of that Disney magic.

It was about lunch time now. I am a pescatarian (or vegetarian that eats fish), and there were plenty of places on the map with "options." I headed to Restaurantosaurus, since it was close to Nemo. The "option" was a black bean burger with fries. That seemed like a pretty heavy meal on race day, so I went to Flame Tree Barbecue, which a CM recommended. They had a fruit plate, onion rings, and fries...and that's it. I kind of wanted the fruit plate, but I didn't think that would be enough food (I'm very picky, I know), and it cost more than the fries or the onion rings. I opted for onion rings. I probably could have found another dining option, but I didn't want to stray too far from Nemo and risk not getting a seat.

I wolfed those onion rings! For all my indecision, they were fresh and very tasty. I hurried over to Nemo, which was being seated, and I grabbed a pretty good seat.

This musical was so fun! The puppets were neat and the performers got so into their character. I wasn't expecting such high caliber performances at AK, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely see Festival of the Lion King and the Nemo musical again.

Once Nemo was over, I grabbed a bus back to my hotel to rest up. I got a short nap, but honestly was so full of excitement for the night to come that I couldn't sleep any more! I watched a little TV and tried to stay off my feet (and chug 32 ounces of Powerade Zero). Around 6:30, I started changing and getting all my stuff together.

I didn't plan to check a bag (big mistake, as I'll get into later), so in my SpiBelt I had Nuun, some aspirin, & my HoneyStinger Chews. I carried a small camera I borrowed from my stepdad, and my QuickDraw water bottle. In the water bottle pouch I had cash, my room key and my Hammer gel. I didn't worry about changing because I figured everyone would smell badly and we'd all just ignore it.

I was ready to go by 7/7:15, but I hadn't planned on leaving until 7:30. I decided to get a jump on it and headed for a bus. Good thing I left early, because as our bus pulled away from the hotel, we saw about 30+ people lining up for the next one.

The race itself didn't start until 10 PM, so when I got there, I used the portapotty and staked out a spot along the bag check fence to sit (and people-watch). I'd brought a WalMart bag of a bagel w/ peanut butter, a banana, and my traditional pre-race protein shake. I figured since I'd arrived so early, I should spend my time eating. I started with the banana, and about an hour later had the bagel. About half an hour after that, I had the shake (which was now warm...all that icing for nothing ). By that time, we were being called to our corrals.

While I was sitting, I had a good chance to eye the costumes. I could tell that some of these people would be soooo uncomfortable. Honestly, if you haven't practiced in it, don't wear it on race day. I saw someone in a long, flowy, hooded white thing, and another woman in a wedding dress-looking thing with glow necklaces imbedded (really). She ended up in my corral and managed to pull off the whole distance in that thing.

I was pretty pleased with the staging area. RunDisney had a DJ with a dance area set up, so if you had that kind of energy, at least there was something to do. There were also some photo opportunities, but the lines for these were HUGE, and they weren't characters or anything, just backdrops. I just kind of sat, saving my energy for the 10 miles ahead.

I was in Corral D, 4th out of about 10 corrals I think, so I was pretty pleased with my placement. There was a short walk from the staging area to the actual start. The start was cool, with announcers on a "set," fireworks for the start of each corral and really giant banner.

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This is definitely the biggest event I've ever done, so all of this was really impressive to me. The fireworks went off for Corral D and we were outta there! Within the first mile there was a Twilight Zone area with the theme music and a spinny-hypnosis-light thing (sorry, no pic, my stepdad's camera is not great). Each mile had the poster featuring the villain at that character stop.

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Shortly after the poster came that character. I didn't stop too much for pics until the end, because I met a woman before the race who told me that stopping and increasing your time for character pics would make RunDisney have some sort of prejudice against your corral placement in the future. The more I think about it, the sillier it sounds, and I get angrier at myself for listening to that and not stopping for more cool pictures!

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Anywho, Doctor Facilier was a character stop, in addition to the hyenas from Lion King, Stitch, Lotso, Mike Wazowski (dunno why he was there...not a villain), queen from Alice in Wonderland, Jack & Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas, and others I can't remember.

In addition to character stops, there were also 2 medical tents handing out Tylenol, Biofreeze and Vaseline. I got a Tylenol around mile 8, because I had a headache creeping up.

Seven aid stations at this race, and that's where my regrets come in for not checking a bag. At the second one, I saw a woman pour water down her back. It's Florida, it's hot and humid, this sounded like a good idea. I copied her at that aid station and the 5 thereafter. By the end of the run, my mostly cotton outfit was soaked! Luckily, there were a few gift shops open, so instead of being soaking wet all night, I bought some Perry the Platypus boxer shorts and wore them around the after party. $20 was a small price to pay at the time for dry shorts.

I stopped for 2 characters at the end. Stitch, because he was the race mascot (and wouldn't you know, the pic on my camera is terrible...I may be purchasing the overpriced official photo, which is way better), and Mike Wazowski.

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Aside from all the characters, my favorite part of this race was towards the latter half of the race...we ran through WWOS, around the track/baseball field, and you got to see yourself on the big screen. Really fun!

I finished in 2:04:30 and got my medal (which glows in the dark and has a working spring elevator thingy). I finished early enough that I rode TOT and Rockin' Roller Coaster with about zero wait. I went to TSMM and rode for the first time ever because the wait was only 25 mins. I also stopped for pics with Shan Yu from Mulan and Lotso.

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And, by this point it was about 2:15 AM. I had a lunch ADR at 11:30 for Via Napoli that day, and I was pretty beat, so I decided to call it a night. It made me happy to think that I still had 4 more days in Florida (3 more in the World, and one at US)!

This was definitely the coolest race I think I've ever done. I'm hoping that I can do more RunDisney events, I just have to keep saving!

 

[rigsfhdgnv]

Sorry for all the pic issues, folks...still figuring it all out!

 

[rigsfhdgnv]

I woke up around 9-ish, since I had an 11:30 ADR at Via Napoli and I wanted plenty of time to grab coffee at the hotel, get to Epcot and find Italy. I was on a bus around 9:30 and at Epcot by 10. Since I was quite early, I got a FP for Soarin', a ride I'd never ever done but heard was great. Even though it was mid-morning, my FP return window didn't start until 1:45. I was close to The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and there was only a 5 minute wait, so I did that quickly. Then I headed to World Showcase for my ADR. I got there pretty early, 11:15. I wasn't the only person ready for my ADR, though, there were a few others anxious to eat!

I had heard that Via Napoli had the best pizza in the World, and I love, love, LOVE pizza. This was a must-do for me, and I figured the day after the TOT 10 miler would be perfect. I wouldn't feel guilty about indulging on a pizza and maybe an adult beverage. I was right! I had the Funghi Pizza and a glass of sangria. The pizza was so amazing. Definitely the best in the World, and perhaps the best I've had recently, perhaps ever. Via Napoli had some great looking desserts, but I decided to get something from the Food & Wine Festival instead, since my waiter was talking up the amazing warm chocolate thing from Ireland.

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I went to Ireland and found that amazing chocolate thing. It's warm chocolate pudding with some sort of Bailey's cream sauce, and it was really good.

I spent a leisurely afternoon at Epcot after that amazing eating experience. I met Belle (no waiting), did the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros (no waiting), Maelstrom (no waiting), saw Captain EO (a fave, no waiting), rode Journey Into Imagination with Figment (first time, no waiting, a new fave!), and hit Soarin' with my FP...still a bit of a wait, but not nearly as bad as it would have been. This was my first time on Soarin', and I thought it was really neato! If the lines weren't so long, I could have done it again and again.

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I made my way to the other side of the park and hit Ellen's Energy Adventure (a little dated...but Ellen is classically hilarious), TestTrack (love the single rider line! I may have had to wait if not for that), and Mission: SPACE (first time on that one as well...so cool, but the sick bags were a bit unnerving).

It was about 3:30 by this time and I had a ticket for MNSSHP that evening, so I went to All Star Sports to rest a bit and change into my costume.

MNSSHP starts at 7, and I got to MK right around that time. I got a bag for trick-or-treating and headed into the park.

Now, I'd read online that some adults had done MNSSHP solo, and had a blast. I was less than impressed. Yes, Hallowishes was so awesome! Loved it. Yes, the Boo To You parade was different than all the other parades I've seen. Yes, I got candy. Yes, the waits were less. However, I felt that this was really an experience you'd want to do with someone, anyone other than just by yourself. I think I was the only person there solo, at least, I didn't see any other solo travelers there. Up until MNSSHP I'd been enjoying myself immensely, and I still was having fun, riding Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain and all that, but something definitely felt off here. I did a little shopping on Main Street before leaving the park prior to midnight.

Monday was my day at Universal, so I went back to All Star Sports to get some sleep before catching the Mears shuttle the next morning.

 

[Bayoumama]

Joining in. Looks like the solo experience was ok up until MNSSHP. Sorry that wasn't what you were expecting. I've never been and probably won't go until I have some small kids to bring with me. My kids are teenagers and don't want to do it.
I hope the rest of the trip is better.
Sounds like you had a good race though. I'm like you, I always wanted to do a RunDisney race. This one was on my birthday. One day I'll make this one !!! I want to try the Everest race first as it is shorter and I just started to run. Can't wait to hear more !!!

 

[rigsfhdgnv]

Day 4 of my trip and one that I was really looking forward to: my day at US!

The last time I'd been to the World was in 2008, with my parents and nephew. I think it was within 6 months after our trip that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was announced. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan, so a trip to US, even if only a day, was a definite must on this trip.

I got a 1 day, 2 park ticket online from a Florida travel agency. The great thing about this ticket was that it included round-trip Mears transport!

My shuttle came at 8:10. The park opened at 9, so I was hoping to be at IOA by that time. Of course we went to 1 or 2 other resorts first, and then stopped at Sea World for a drop off instead of going straight to US. It was just a few minutes to 9 when we got dropped at our bus stop.

I went to the Will Call kiosk and picked up my pass. After going through the gates I grabbed a map and went straight to the Wizarding World of HP. It wasn't too busy as they'd just opened, and I was glad I'd chosen this strategy (recommended by my high school students). I got a frozen butterbeer (so good!) and had a look around. I went into Honeydukes and bought a Chocolate Frog and some Every Flavor Beans, which I still haven't eaten, I suppose I'm waiting for some sort of special occasion. I also had a browse in the Owlery and just enjoyed looking at the outdoor scenery like the buildings, Hogwarts and the Hogwarts Express.

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Then it was time for the RIDES! I did Dragon Challenge first (no wait!). Now, this ride was actually at US the last time I was there, but it was called Dueling Dragons, I believe. My mom and I rode it a couple of times, once on each "dragon." It fits in with HP nicely, a very fun coaster. Next I did HP and the Forbidden Journey (very little wait!). This may have been the coolest ride EVER. There was so much to see and it was still a thrill ride. A real immersion experience, made even better since it was in Hogwarts Castle. The last ride here was Flight of the Hippogriff (a short wait). Not my favorite, definitely a kids' coaster.

I did a little shopping next, buying all the HP stuff I thought I would want and sending it to the front of the park for package pickup. I met an employee while shopping who told me I was smart to have come so early, and that the crowds will be experiencing HP for most of the day, but if I were to come back right before the park closed, it would be near empty again. I made a mental note to come back around 6 as IOA would be closing at 7.

I made my way to the front of the park. I didn't want to be wet all day, so I skipped Jurassic Park River Adventure, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges. I did go on the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and the Incredible Hulk Coaster. By this time, waits were stretching a bit, so I decided to skip the Dr. Seuss stuff and go to US.

It started to rain by the time I made the short walk. I WAS excited to see a little Walking Dead stuff around the park, though, so I stopped for a couple of pics, and then ducked inside for the Horror Make-Up Show. I'd never seen this before, and I thought it was pretty entertaining.

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I rode the E.T. Adventure, which I'd done before. No surprises there.

I did the Simpsons ride next. I'd never done this one before, though it was there in 2008, I think (or maybe being installed? I just remember they'd done away with the Back to the Future ride, and that kind of upset me). Another VERY cool ride, but the wait was the longest yet, and it wasn't organized very well. I was not pleased to see they'd opened up the upper level of line/waiting area about 10 minutes into my wait, so instead of one line moving somewhat quickly, there were two lines moving pretty slowly. I felt like I was there forever, but it was probably closer to 45 minutes.

I made my way through the park and stopped by the Men in Black ride. Single rider line, yay! I got right on although they stuck me in a seat for people in wheelchairs...? This was a fun ride, and I don't think I'd done it before.

Next I went to Twister, and I remember this one pretty well from last time. It's an ok experience, but definitely not my favorite.

I tried to ride Transformers next, but it was closed, so I saw Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue instead. The last time I saw this show I thought it was really outdated. They've done a lot to spice it up (think better songs and more talented performers if you've seen the old version), and I was pleasantly entertained.

Revenge of the Mummy was next and it was a very short wait, so the single rider line was closed. I liked that ride, but I'm glad the wait wasn't longer, because it wasn't as good as I remembered.

I went to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem next. This ride was so very cool! I know I've said that a lot of the US rides were cool, but it's true! The wait for this was almost as long if not longer than my Simpsons wait, but well worth it. I loved training to be a minion.

I really wanted to do Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, but it too was closed (not impressed ).

Lastly, I saw Shrek 4-D before heading back to IOA. This is a pretty entertaining little show, funny too.

I went back to IOA. It was about 6 o'clock, so perfect timing! I made my way back to the HP stuff and rode HP and the Forbidden Journey one more time. The employee I'd talked to earlier in the day was right, this area of the park was mostly empty! I had a 4 person car on Forbidden Journey to myself. I also found a bystander to take my pic in front of Hogwarts Castle. I was catching my bus a little after 7, so I reluctantly left HP stuff to go back to the bus stop.

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There are some things about US I like.
1. There are more "thrill" rides.
2. Wizarding World of HP

There are also things I don't like.
1. Less rides/attractions than the World.
2. Longer/less organized wait times.
3. Employees, not "cast members," some of which were flat-out rude, and many of which were teenagers (age shouldn't make much of difference, but it does, I think).
4. A higher proportion of attractions seemed to be "closed."

I think my day at US was worth it for me, mainly for the HP stuff and the rides I'd never done which were "so cool." And I'd probably go back if given the chance. But, I'm glad it was one day, and that I still had 2 more days in the World!

 

[emilyindisney]

Very interesting to hear about the whole park ticket/transpo deal for Universal. When we went we rented a car to drive ourselves, but having a bus do the driving for us would have been great!

Even though you found MNSSHP to be a little lack luster, you seem to be enjoying the rest of your trip on your own which is great! I admittedly don't know if I'd like to travel Disney alone or not so I'm enjoying hearing your perspective on it.

 

[rigsfhdgnv]

I'd had a couple of really long days before this one, so I let myself sleep in a bit before heading to MK. I LOVE MK, to be cheesy, I think it is "magic." Additionally, I knew this could be a laid-back kinda day, since I'd gotten most of my "must-do" rides done at MNSSHP.

I got to MK not too long after the 9 am open time. I went straight to Space Mountain and there was only a 10 minute wait! After I got that out of the way, I saw Stitch, and since my race pic was no good, I stopped to meet him again, for a much better photo opportunity!

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I went to Stitch's Great Escape next (seemed only fitting). I'd forgotten how much fun this one was. Chili dogs, ew! I went to Fantasyland next, where I went on the Mad Tea Party, the Barnstormer, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. I also found a character stop I didn't know about, and I do like how the World is starting to have designated buildings for this purpose. There was only a 5 minute wait, so I met Goofy and Donald Duck. Unfortunately, my Donald pics didn't turn out too well.

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I stopped at Gaston's Tavern for a snack, and who should I run into but the man himself!

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Next I saw the Country Bear Jamboree. Still as cute as ever! Then I rode Haunted Mansion. I find something new to see every time I'm on that ride, I love it so much!

The last ride I wanted to do was Jungle Cruise. It hadn't been open for MNSSHP, and the wait was about an hour. I got a FP for the same time, and went to kill the time by seeing the Tiki Room and getting a Dole Whip Float (ironically, the line for this was longer than the line for most of the rides I'd done). Yum! I finished my float while watching Dream Along with Mickey.

Time for my FP return. I love the silly humor and word play of the Jungle Cruise. Our driver asked if anyone was staying for the fireworks, because she heard it would be a "blast." There were only a few of us in the boat who really let ourselves "get" every joke.

The last thing I did in MK was to see the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade. It was hot, so there was still plenty of seating in the sun! I liked this parade.

Really, I don't think there was any better way to spend a day than MK! I wanted to stay and continue absorbing the magic, but I also wanted to go back to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. I'd seen some things Sunday that looked really awesome.

To Epcot I went. By this time I was quite hungry, as I'd mostly been snacking all day. I stumbled across Terra first, which was fortunate because all they offer is vegetarian food! I had the Chili Colorado, which really hit the spot. I continued my journey, eating Zapiekanki from Poland, a Mimosa Royale from Morocco, Sangria from Mexico, Cannoli al cioccolato from Italy, a Warm Chocolate Pudding from Ireland (it was so good Sunday that I needed another!), a Hoegaarden from Belgium, Pavlova from Australia, and a Spinach and paneer cheese pocket from Africa.

Geez....seeing that all typed up looks like a lot of food. And I won't mislead you, it was, but really, how many chances does a person get in life to eat their way around the world?

So, once I was done stuffing myself, I decided to ride Journey into the Imagination with Figment again, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and I spent some time in one of the Innoventions pavilions playing the Great Piggy Bank Adventure. I failed miserably at saving for retirement...imitating life, I suppose.

The last thing I did at Epcot was another character stop...the Epcot Character Stop. As I experienced at MK, having this built in is nice.

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One more day in the World!

 

[rigsfhdgnv]

My last day in the World! A bit sad, but I needed a vacation from my vacation. I'm definitely not a "sleep-in, relax-by-the-pool" type of tourist. I want to see as much as possible with the time and money that I have. By this point, my aggressive sight-seeing had caught up with me.

Anywho, I had saved one of my favorite parks for my last day: DHS. It's my favorite for a few reasons: TOT, Rockin' Roller Coaster, MuppetVision 3D and FANTASMIC! Also, I had an ADR at 50s Prime Time Cafe for dinner. I figured the whole day was a lofty goal, but one I could achieve.

I got there around opening, and I was incredibly surprised at how busy it already was. This was not a good sign. I'm not sure what happened to my other carefree, short wait days in the World, but they were clearly over.

I went to TOT first, since I knew the wait wouldn't take long to get long. Luckily it was still only about 20 minutes. I just love this ride. It's just creepy enough to be awesome, but not so creepy that it scares the daylights out of me.

Off to Rockin' Roller Coaster next. I had not noticed the single rider line at the after party for the 10 miler, but since the regular line was already at almost an hour, I was thankful for it today. I didn't get on super fast, as there were quite a few people with the same idea as me, but it was definitely shorter than waiting with a party of people. (Pet peeve: while I was waiting, there were a couple of kids in the single rider line. We got close to the front and they squeezed through the bars into the regular line! I gave them my "teacher look," and the girl explained to me that she was too scared to ride it alone. I took this to mean that she was going to tell the CM and leave the line. No, she and her brother got on together! It made me so angry to think of all the people they had cut in front of who had been waiting for such a long time. ) Rockin' Roller Coaster is one of my favorites. The music, the dark, the design of the "limo" and "street signs," and of course the thrill of twisting and turning enough to make anyone a bit dizzy. A big thumbs-up from this gal!

I had never seen Beauty and the Beast the Musical, but I was determined to change that today, regardless of how busy the park was. I found some nice people who let me squeeze in the end of their row and enjoyed the show! I loved it and kind of wished it had been a longer show.

I made my way to the other side of the park next. Star Tours had a short wait, so I rode it. I've never been a Star Wars person. Everyone tells me that it's something I would love, and I do enjoy the ride. Who knows, maybe someday I'll make time to watch all the movies.

I went to MuppetVision 3D next. I got there at just the right time. A show had just started, so I was one of the first people at the doors for the next one. I can't remember 100%, but I feel like the entertainment while waiting may have been new...? At least, I couldn't remember it from the last time I was there. MuppetVision 3D is classic Muppets, so funny. "No cheap 3D gags here!"

I saw the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular sometime around this point. I always forget about all of the extra stuff after the giant boulder comes rolling, so it's always like I'm seeing it for the first time.

Honey! I Shrunk the Kids is closed, which makes sense, because I remember it from my FIRST trip the World over 20 years ago. I dunno if they're updating or replacing, but I'm sure the area is due for refurbishment.

I went to the Great Movie Ride. What a fast-moving line! I'd forgotten how many people each car seats. Our "gangster" CM was not the greatest. Her accent needed some work, but our "tour guide" CM was very good.

I went to TSMM next, just to check the line. Over an hour (I want to say more like 90 minutes) to stand-by and all the fastpasses were gone. Looks like I'll have to wait for my next trip to the World to do this one again.

I saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid without much wait, that was nice. I like the blacklight-type stuff involved.

At this point in my day I was still a couple of hours from my ADR, but I didn't really know if there were any other special things I wanted to do. I decided to try out The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow, which I think is fairly new. I was not a fan. I didn't know what it was, but I assumed it was some sort of ride...? No. It's a room with a boat and some holographic stuff....and that's it. I waited about 30 minutes and I was not impressed. As the CM was leading us to the exit, I was expecting one of the turns to lead to the ride portion. Then we entered sunlight and I knew that it was over. Pretty disappointing.

I went to Walt Disney: One Man's Dream and looked over artifacts and things, but didn't stay for the movie. I liked looking at costumes from the Mickey Mouse Club and things like that. I don't think a lot of people realize just how far back all of Walt's work goes until they see it all in one room like that.

Far back in a corner, there is something called The Magic of Disney Animation. I'd never known it was there, but it caught my eye as I was walking around, so I decided to take a little peak inside. OH, I WISH I'D FOUND THIS EARLIER! Animation Academy would have been such a neat experience for this art teacher, and what a cool souvenir! Of course, by the time I got there, the line for this was a million miles long, and there was no way I had time before my ADR to sit and wait. Now I already know one of my "must-do's" for next time!

I did a little shopping next, but didn't see anything I couldn't live without.

Still had awhile (about 30 minutes) until my ADR, so I went back to Rockin' Roller Coaster, banking my hopes on the single rider line to get me in and out quickly enough for my ADR.

I got done at about 6:15 and decided to head to 50s Prime Time Cafe although I was a few minutes early. The good thing about dining solo is that it's not that hard for them to get you in. I was sat pretty much immediately and had the vegetarian lasagna. I don't think I'd ever eaten here before, and I probably should've looked at the menu better before booking, because I'm fairly certain the lasagna was the only thing that didn't have some sort of meat in it. It was a pretty good lasagna, though. I also had Dad's Electric Lemonade (now THAT was good ) and a PBJ milkshake, which I'd heard a lot about on Disney Food Blog, etc. Good, but not the best milkshake I've ever had.

So, I got done eating around 7, Fantasmic! wouldn't be starting until 8:30. I figured I had time to do one more thing before heading over for a seat. I did Star Tours again since I was close by and the wait was only 10 minutes. Then, I headed over for Fantasmic! The last ride was a big mistake. As I was heading over, there was an announcement made that there was now "standing room only" for Fantasmic! I went up anyway, hoping to find a seat. The bleachers in the back still had some room, but there was almost zero view of the water, which is where I knew stuff would be happening. I tried to make the best of it, but when the show started, I really had a hard time seeing. Argh. (Fastpass+, the only FP for this show, did not help matters. So many people had MagicBands, and people with MagicBands can get up to 3 (THREE!) FPs at one time. They're not normal ride-only FPs either, as the Fantasmic! situation showed me. Half the seating in the amphitheater was reserved for FP+ holders....how frustrating to think that half the seats were saved for people who had an unfair advantage in the first place.)

Once Fantasmic! was over, I decided to call it a day (there was another Fantasmic! showing that night, but I truly didn't think I could stay awake for it). My day at DHS was not as good as my other days in the parks, and I didn't really know what to make of it. I must have hit some magic time frame on the other days that expired the day I chose to go to DHS. A lot of people and things had been grinding my gears that day, and I'm not sure if I should contribute that to the crowds or just me having too much of a good thing on the other days. It was definitely time to go home.

My flight the next day didn't leave until 3:15-ish, so DME wouldn't pick me up until about noon. I planned to spend that morning lazing by the pool, drinking Pina Colavas (a totally awesome drink served at the pool bar). Unfortunately, a CM informed me that they don't start serving alcohol until noon. Just another sign it was time for me to go.

In all, I think my first solo trip to the World was pretty successful. I would definitely go alone again, and I think going in October was a pretty smart thing to do (at least until the end, ha!).